


Don't get too close

by Running4chaos



Category: Zombies Run!
Genre: Cats, Depression, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Female runner 5 - Freeform, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Panic Attacks, Please look after yourselves, i guess it can be explained that way, trigger warning, zr s3 spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-19
Updated: 2020-09-19
Packaged: 2021-03-07 21:35:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,179
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26544577
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Running4chaos/pseuds/Running4chaos
Summary: Post Moonchild, 5 is struggling quite a bit.This was for zombies make. I used prompt 3, which was the song demons by imagine dragons.
Relationships: Runner Five/Sam Yao
Comments: 1
Kudos: 11





	Don't get too close

Maxine fiddled with the keys to 5’s flat as they walked up the stairs. Orange light trickled through the windows as she climbed.

It was becoming habit to stick their head in once a day to see If 5 was doing okay.

And by okay they meant alive.

Moonchild’s had robbed 5 of what they valued the most, their self-control and individuality. Before her, 5 was certainly an individual: an obsession with sports bras, able to run fast from zombie pursuit but yet unable to figure out the difference between a push and pull door, a large smile and a laugh they utterly threw themselves into.

When they had stumbled back to Abel after their attack, they looked so unlike themselves in moonchild’s clothes, hair grown out and a glassy look. Usually, 5 would be up at the crack of dawn ready for their daily run with little complaint. Now, all they really seemed to do was sleep. Maxine assumed from previous visits that 5 would be up once a day to feet her cats, and that was that, judging from the state of the flat when she had entered.

The lock clicked softly as Maxine inserted the key in and twisted it. A blanket of cold rolled over her as door creaked open. Two glinting eyes reflected back at her from the darkness as Maxine felt her way to the window to open the curtains.

The fabric felt dusty under her hands as she let the light sweep across the room. Looking out the window, you could see the whole of Abel and the rolling countryside hills, with New Cantons castle perched neatly between two hills on the horizon all lined with the fleeting sunset light.

Maxine made a mental note to add locks to the window next time she came. 

Suddenly, warmth wrapped around her ankles. One of 5’s many cats, a large, sandy coloured creature that Maxine thought Zoe had named Jyn. Maxine had never been one for cats, but bent over to stroke Jyn’s head and murmured ‘do you know where 5 is, eh? Usually she’s on the sofa in here’. Jyn responded with looking over at the closed door to 5’s bedroom and leaping up too look at the view on the windowsill, and perhaps catch some fleeting sunlight warmth.

Why was it so cold in this room?

The bedroom door creaked as Maxine entered. ‘Five? It’s Maxine. I’ve come to see if your all right?’.

The window was open. Wide. It explained the cold and explained why 5 wasn’t sat in any of her usual spots.

Maxine ran over to the window and looked down at the ground. 5 thankfully wasn’t on the ground either. She could have gone anywhere at this rate.

Adrenaline coursed through Maxine’s veins and felt the room begin to spin. How was she supposed to explain to Sam that she’d lost 5? 5 hadn’t let Sam anywhere near them after what happened, and Sam had trusted her to look after his girlfriend. How was she supposed to contend with losing one of her closest friends?

Small sounds where coming from underneath the bed. It was mostly covered with a large, woollen blanket that Jody had knitted for 5 as a ‘welcome to Abel sorry you can’t go back to everyone you love at Mullins’ gift. Maxine threw it back to look under the bed.

Much to her relief, 5 and small ginger tabby where cuddled together under the frame. The small cat was purring up against 5 chest as it heaved up and down.

5’s eyes where squeezed shut, she was trembling violently, and she was wheezing franticly and silently.

‘Hey there 5, It’s just Maxine. I’m not here to hurt you.’ She spoke softly, keeping her distance slightly. 5 liked her space during these episodes. ‘Can you breathe with me? Let’s start with in for two, out for four.’

It took 5 a while for 5’s breathing to slow as Maxine guided them through the breathing exercises. Soon, after in for 18 out for 20, 5’s body went limp, and they removed their hand to their ear to stroke the cats back.

‘He looks after you well 5. What’s his name again?’

No response. All they did was stare blankly at nothing in particular.

‘Can you come out from under the bed 5? I doubt its comfortable under there.’

Slowly, 5 emerged from under the frame and pulled herself up onto the bed. The cat followed, and sat themselves firmly on 5’s lap, purring loudly.

‘Skimble’.

‘Pardon?’

‘Skimble. That’s his name’. 5 croaked

‘Well, thank you for keeping an eye on 5 for me Skimble’.

5 smiled weakly as they ran their hand down Skimble’s soft back.

‘You don’t look like you’re doing good, 5. Did something trigger that? Do you want to talk about it?’

5 paused for a second, and quietly responded ‘bad dream’.

‘Is that why you opened the window so wide?’

‘Couldn’t breathe’.

Maxine sighed. She looked at 5’s tearstained face. This wasn’t their usual stone faced and neatly kept 5.

‘There’s a run tomorrow that I’d like you to come with me on. It would be nice to go out running again. Like during your training? A run will do you good. You’ve not been out in weeks.’

5 didn’t respond.

‘I want you there as well 5. All of Abel wants you here.’ 

‘Sam?’ 5 mumbled.

‘He won’t stop talking about you, 5. He pounces on me after I come see you, asking how you are. I can send him up if you want?’

‘No’. 5 retorted quickly. ‘But…tell him I say hi’.

‘I will.’

The two sat together quietly and watched as the last of the sun dipped below the hills, and as the starts crawled out from the darkening blanket.

‘Guilty’.

‘Is that how you feel, 5? Guilty?’ Maxine muttered back.

5 made a small sound in response.

‘I think I’d be more worried if you were not guilty 5, but this is a natural part of the heeling process.’ Maxine turned her head to look at her ‘it wasn’t your fault. You were not in control’. Maxine explained slowly at a low volume. She was carful not to make too much noise as to trigger another attack for 5.

Shivering, 5 looked down at her hands, and back up at Maxine.

‘What time?’

‘It’s about 7pm now, but the run is tomorrow afternoon. Say, around 3?’ Maxine explained while getting up to shut the open window. Sam will be our operator’.

‘Sam.’

Maxine paused for a moment and stated ‘I think I’ll send him up for you. He misses you, and I think you miss him. You won’t hurt him 5. He said he could hear the mind control sounds through your headset they were so high, and yet you still hit the wall with that axe’.

5 paused for a minute. ‘Okay’.

Maxine smiled. Baby steps where small, but still something in the grand scheme of things. 5 would find away threw this. They always did.


End file.
